Mapleshade's Story
by Tigerlily of RiverClan
Summary: As a kit, Mapleshade was just an ordinary, innocent kit, but when she is exiled from her Clan by doing something against the warrior code, she turns on the ones she loved.
1. Allegiances and Prologue

ThunderClan

**Leader: **Mothstar- mottled gray-and-brown she-cat with white paws and amber eyes (APPRENTICE, Sorrelpaw)

**Deputy: **Thunderheart- muscular white tom with ginger patches

**Medicine Cat: **Lilywhisker- gray-and-white she-cat with clear green eyes (APPRENTICE, Molefoot)

**Warriors**

Skydapple- tortoiseshell she-cat with white patches (APPRENTICE, Icepaw)

Foxfur- handsome red tom with a white tail-tip and black paws, strongly resembles a fox

Petalstream- pale-gray she-cat with darker speckles

Leafdust- brown tabby tom with a paler underbelly and blue eyes

Honeytail- white she-cat with a pale-ginger tail (APPRENTICE, Hazelpaw)

Sandcloud- orange tabby she-cat, formerly a kittypet

Sootwhisker- black-and-white tom

Rainclaw- blue-gray tom with green eyes

Rosethorn- black-and-white she-cat with spiky fur

**Apprentices**

Molefoot- black tom with small paws

Icepaw- dark gray tabby tom with a white underbelly

Sorrelpaw- dark brown she-cat

Hazelpaw- pale-ginger-and-white she-cat

**Queens**

Blossomsky- tortoiseshell she-cat, mother of Foxfur's kits, Maplekit, tortoiseshell-and-white she-kit with amber eyes, Leopardkit, golden she-kit with brown flecks, and Owlkit, small brown-and-white tom

Sagewillow- white she-cat, mother to Sootwhisker's kits, Thistlekit, black tom, and Marshkit, dark ginger she-kit

**Elders**

Tigerstripe- pale-gray tabby tom with black stripes

Mallowfur- pale-brown she-cat

Olivenose- white she-cat with brown patches, and an olive-shaped patch above her nose

**Cats Outside of the Clans**

Scratch- black-and-white tom with a battle-scarred pelt

Red- dark ginger tom

Wolf- large gray-and-white tom with an under bite

Misty- light gray she-cat with blue eyes

Stump- brown tom with no tail

Shadow- sleek jet-black tom

Claw- dark tabby tom

Shattered Ice- old white tom

_Prologue_

The light of the almost-full moon pierced the cold night air as a group of cats gathered in an alley of a Twolegplace. The leader of them, a black-and-white tom, stepped forward.

"We can't just attack them by ourselves!" the tom hissed at the cats. "We know nothing about those cats; we'll need a guide."

"If one of those cats comes here, we could hold them hostage until they show us to their camp," a dark ginger tom suggested humbly.

"Are you mouse-brained?" the black-and-white tom growled. "That idea is terrible!"

Just as the black-and-white tom was scolding the younger ginger tom, an old white tom came stumbling toward him.

"Scratch! Scratch!" the white tom yelped.

"What is it, Shattered Ice?" the black-and-white tom called Scratch demanded.

The white tom stood up weakly. "I think I may have a solution to your problem."

Scratch lashed his tail. "Well, what?"

"I have had a dream-" Shattered Ice began, but then a tabby interrupted him.

"Oh great!" the tabby grumbled. "You and your dreams again. Don't waste Scratch's time with your stupid dreams of starry cats."

"Listen!" Shattered Ice yowled. "I dreamed a tortoiseshell came to us. It led us to the Clans!"

Only one or two cats gasped in disbelief, but Scratch said nothing. He just stepped up to Shattered Ice and lashed his claws across the old tom's face.

Before Shattered Ice could get up, Scratch grabbed his throat and flung him against a shiny Twoleg thing.

Shattered Ice shook as he stood, looking at Scratch with pity and helplessness in his eyes.

"You are no use to this group!" Scratch growled at the old tom. "Leave now or I shall kill you myself!"

With those words, Shattered Ice drug himself out of Twolegplace.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The weak sunlight that filtered into the nursery warmed Maplekit's cold pelt as she snuggled closer to her mother, Blossomsky, and her littermates, Leopardkit and Owlkit.

Maplekit tossed and turned, but she couldn't be still any longer; she wanted to go outside and warm her pelt from the cold leafbare wind. Cautiously tiptoeing over Leopardkit and Owlkit, Maplekit scampered out of the nursery.

The sunlight was blinding at first, but Maplekit's eyes soon adjusted to the light. She looked around the camp. A thick layer of frost covered the ground, causing it to sparkle as the sun hit it. She could hear some of the frost melting as it dripped off from the canopy of trees above her. With the trees above her head, Maplekit felt safer from the cold wind. Her mother had told her about WindClan, living on the open moor with not a tree in sight. Maplekit shuddered. _What kind of cat would want to live out in the open like that, exposed to the wind and rain? _Then she had second thoughts. _Those WindClan cats must be pretty tough, if they can withstand such conditions. _

Maplekit knew that WindClan cats weren't the strongest; ThunderClan was the strongest Clan, according to her mother.

Maplekit jumped when she saw a large ginger-and-white tom padded by her. The tom turned his broad head and fixed his sharp amber eyes on Maplekit. He flicked his tail in a brisk greeting and padded away. Maplekit was in awe of the tom's massive size. _He must be the deputy._ She thought, nodding to herself when she saw the ThunderClan leader, Mothstar, talking with the large tom. The two cats entwined tails and gave each other a loving lick behind the ear, showing the two cats were mates.

"Hello there, little one," a gentle voice purred from behind Maplekit.

The tortoiseshell she-kit turned around to see a pretty, but aging, gray-and-white she-cat standing over her. The she-cat's clear green eyes showed gentleness, unlike the deputy's.

"I'm Lilywhisker," the she-cat meowed, "and you must be little Maplekit, from Blossomsky's litter. You were the first to be born."

Maplekit puffed out her white chest in pride. "Yes, well, I am the strongest, after all."

Lilywhisker purred. "You'll make a fine warrior, dear. But you shouldn't be outside when it's this cold; I don't want you to catch greencough."

As Maplekit opened her jaws to protest, Lilywhisker scooped her up and carried her back into the nursery.

Lilywhisker turned to Sagewillow, one of the other queens. "Could you keep an eye on this one?" she asked the white queen, flicking her tail at Maplekit. "Just until Blossomsky wakes."

Sagewillow dipped her head. "I won't let her out of my sight, Lilywhisker." The queen kept her blue eyes fixed on Maplekit.

Maplekit snorted. _I don't need to be watched. I'm the oldest of my litter!_

Suddenly, two shapes crashed into the nursery. It was Sagewillow's two kits; Thistlekit and Marshkit. They were almost six moons old, and were three times as big as Maplekit.

"Hey, momma, guess what we just saw!" Thistlekit exclaimed, fluffing out his black fur.

"Yeah, it was the coolest-" Marshkit's squeal was cut off as Sagewillow hissed at them.

"Thistlekit, Marshkit!" Sagewillow scolded. "Why must you make such a loud racket whenever you come in here; Blossomsky is trying to sleep."

Marshkit covered her mouth with her tail. "Sorry, Sagewillow. We just wanted to show you this dead thing we found." She mewed in a softer voice.

Sagewillow wrinkled her nose. "Don't be playing with dead things. I want you two to either stay in here, or make yourselves useful around the camp."

Marshkit's eyes turned to her brother's, filled with mischief. "If Maplekit wants to go outside, she can come with us; we'll watch her."

Sagewillow turned to Maplekit. "Don't let them keep you out in that cold for too long," she advised. "Now, run along; the nursery will be quiet with you three out playing."

Maplekit hopped out of the nursery after Thistlekit and Marshkit, struggling to keep up; Sagewillow's kits were older, so their legs were longer.

Thistlekit led Marshkit and Maplekit into a small holly bush on the east side of ThunderClan's camp.

"What are we-" Thistlekit covered Maplekit's mouth with his tail as she began to speak.

"Keep it down, will you?" he hissed quietly. "I don't want us to get caught."

Still curious, Maplekit just nodded and pricked her ears up to listen.

"Wanna see the dead thing we found?" Marshkit asked Maplekit as she drew her face near.

"I don't know," Maplekit began. "Sagewillow said she didn't want you near it."

"Don't be such a mouse-heart," Thistlekit sneered. "Are you coming or not?"

Maplekit swallowed. She knew it was wrong, but she didn't want to make herself seem like a mouse-heart in front of the older kits; she wanted to them to look at her like one of them, not a two-moon-old kit. "Okay, I guess I'll check it out."

"Good," Marshkit snorted as she and Thistlekit dashed out of camp through a small gap in the thorn barrier. Maplekit squeezed through after them, still lagging behind by about two fox-lengths.

Marshkit and Thistlekit easily weaved through the trees, and leaped over fallen trees with ease. Maplekit, however, was slower at doing it. She hissed with irritation as she wrenched a claw while clambering over a fallen tree, which was slippery with wet moss.

"Are…we…almost there?" Maplekit puffed as she tried to catch her breath.

Suddenly, Marshkit and Thistlekit stopped. Maplekit crashed into Marshkit, causing her to fall forward on her chin. She yowled and turned around. "Hey, watch it!" she growled.

Thistlekit flicked his sister over her ear with his tail, signaling for her to be quiet. He turned to Maplekit. "Look!"

Maplekit stood beside the black tom and saw the carcass of a brown furry thing with a puffy white tail and long ears.

"It's a rabbit," Marshkit licked her lips as she approached it. Taking a bite, she purred. "It's good! Try some!"

Thistlekit dashed to Marshkit's side and tucked into the rabbit.

Maplekit just stood there; she had never eaten prey before, just Blossomsky's milk.

Marshkit turned around. "Aren't you gonna have some, Maplekit?"

Maplekit opened her jaws to protest, but she shut them and looked into the trees as she saw movement. Her amber eyes widened as a large red animal with a bushy tail approached them. The animal's lips were drawn in a snarl, showing blood-stained, sharp, yellow teeth.

"What is that?" Maplekit trembled with fear as she quietly mewed in terror.


End file.
